An Introduction to the Study of World Religions

Today, there are numerous challenges and problems faced by humans from every possible background, location and social class. Every day people must face issues of health, safety and mortality. It is because of these daily challenges that religion continues to exist. Religion is the universal tool for explaining things which we do not understand through the context the known physical world. Although there are countless religions, each different from the other, they all serve the same purpose. Each answers questions which all humans seem to be programmed to ask: Why are we here? What happens when I die? How shall I live my life?

Religion helps us to transmit our values from one generation to another, and influences the way we interact with the natural environment. It teaches us how to see ourselves in light of the universe and gives purpose and meaning to life. Whether you are a member of a particular religious group, unsure of what you should believe, or do not have any religious beliefs, these web pages will introduce you to the world's six major religions. They are not meant to convert, or to be the synopsis of every aspect of the religion they explain. They are intended to serve as an introduction, to whet your appetite for further study and to help you understand those around you better. With our global society, it is likely that in your lifetime you will meet people from every corner of the planet. Understanding the religious beliefs of these people is one of the many steps which mankind must take in order to someday prosper together in peace.
Course Description

From newspaper business pages to suburban demographics, "globalization" has emerged as a significant trend for the 21st century. Negotiating cultural differences in our new "global village" can be tricky, and religion is often a significant cultural barrier. This course will introduce students to the study of religion in a global context, focusing on traditions other than Judaism and Christianity in non-Western societies. While we cannot thoroughly investigate any one of these religions, we will learn about the basic history, textual traditions, and rituals of the major religions studied.

This course will introduce students to the central beliefs of the world's major religions. I assume that students who enroll in the course believe that there is something valuable to be learned from these traditions and that it is possible to respect all of them while still practicing the teachings of one of them—or of no religion. Thus my job will consist in presenting each of these traditions in a sympathetic (though not uncritical) light. The class will consist of lectures, discussions, student presentations, handouts, and some videos. Since students are accountable for in-class materials, attendance is mandatory. One can anticipate that for college level courses one to two hours out of class(homework) will be expended for every hour in class. Students are expected to arrive on time, spend the entire session in class, be attentive (take lecture notes), and not consume food in class. Class work must be typed and submitted by the assigned date or be subject to diminished credit.
Purpose

Many scholars have noted that the United States was (and in many ways continues to be) the great "Protestant Experiment." While non-Protestants in some cases managed to gain a toe-hold early in the republic’s history, only recently has their status as second-class citizens been called into question. No longer can (or should) we assume that our neighbors or co-workers will be fellow Protestants. Of course, if one shifts one’s view away from the United States, the picture changes even more dramatically. Although Protestants account for roughly one-third of the population of the U.S., Protestants account for less than 7% of the world’s population. There are nearly three times more Roman Catholics and Moslems in the world (19% and 18% respectively) than there are Protestants, and almost twice as many Hindus (13.5 %). The list goes on and on.

In light of this reality, the question that serves as the premise of this course is as follows: Can one presume to be an educated person in today’s world and know next to nothing about the customs, beliefs, rituals, and ways of life of the other 75-90% (depending on whether you count the "non-religious") of the world’s population? If not, then one has to begin somewhere. The aim of the course is to make a start at introducing students to those ways of thinking and living that animate the rest of the world beyond American Protestantism.

Goals

The purpose of this course is to assist you in developing an informed appreciation for the religious life of humankind as reflected in a number of the most influential religious traditions of the world. The course is intended neither to convert you to any particular religion nor to persuade you to reject any or all religion. This course provides a comparative analysis of philosophical, social, textual, and ritual dimensions of major world religions, including West African origins (Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam), South Asian origins (Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikkhism), and East Asian origins (Confucism, Taoism/Daoism, Shintoism), and will also explore the religious pluralism of the United States. In addition to discovering various religious worldviews, the course will compare sacred writings, rituals, ethics, attitudes toward gender roles, and attitudes toward modernity including the rise of religiously sponsored violence. Any world religion course probably risks being either too broad (providing merely a survey) and too narrow (providing careful treatment of too little information); this course will try to balance a survey of a number of different views and a detailed discussion of one tradition, Buddhism.

To develop an informed appreciation for this material it is necessary to approach the material in the right frame of mind. If you assume that any religion but your own is wrong, is nonsense, is a distortion of reality, or that all religion is nonsense, you are unlikely to achieve a fair hearing of the insights that have given birth to these traditions, or the interesting ideas and practices that have shaped the lives of human beings who for millennia have participated in these traditions. Assuming such a standpoint, you can hardly hope to be properly informed. If, on the other hand, you assume that all religions are equally acceptable, you are unlikely to take seriously the uniqueness of each tradition or the claims that many traditions make to a unique revelation. Try approaching this subject matter with genuine curiosity about the nature of religion and the distinguishing features of the many differing traditions We want to appreciate the understanding of reality and the understanding of the human condition they embody. It is appropriate to place the question of the truth of religions within brackets until an adequate understanding of the religions of the world has developed.

In order to study religion, we need a working definition of the subject. The purpose of a definition is to become clear in our minds about what it is that we are seeking to explore. An adequate definition of religion would have to be faithful to the religious tradition with which you are familiar from your own religious experience and training if you have had such experience and training, but it must also be faithful to all those forms of behavior and practices we would all recognize as religion that are not part of your experience So, for example, if we were prepared to define religion as "belief in God" or "belief in the supernatural" we would have to show that (1) all religions involve beliefs and (2) that among those beliefs there is a universal doctrine of God or the supernatural. In fact there are many historical traditions we would recognize as religions that are without specific beliefs and there are religions that have certain beliefs which include a rejection of any doctrine of God In order to help formulate a definition of religion that is faithful to the available data, we will consider the insights offered in material from a book by Paul Tillich called The Dynamics of Faith.

Having formulated a workable definition of the subject, we need to become familiar with the most influential traditions of religious life that we find in human civilization. This will entail the exploration of a considerable body of information concerning the manifestations of religion in human history. This will include information from cultures and historical epochs very different from our own. Our purpose in examining this material is to begin to grasp the understanding of reality for the adherents of these religious traditions. The information now available concerning the religious traditions of humankind, however, is too vast to encompass even in a lifetime. Thus the material we will be examining will necessarily be cursory and selective. Nevertheless, it will include a span of material sufficient to engender an appreciation of the great variety of the forms of religious life that exist in the world, as well as those pervasive features of such phenomena that justify our referring to them all as religions.

Course Objectives: By the end of this study it is hoped and expected that each student will be able to formulate a foundational understanding of the meaning and role of religion today. Each student should gain an introductory, but insightful, comprehension of the major world religions, as well as the problems and possibilities of interreligious dialogue and the relationship between religion and contemporary culture. This can all serve to encourage students in their quest for meaning,
understanding, compassion and wisdom.

What we do hope to do in this course:

To analyze critically the concept of "religion" as commonly understood in Western societies.
To be introduced to a number of "religious" traditions other than evangelical Protestant Christianity.
To develop skills as an empathic interpreter of "religious" traditions other than one's own.
To gain a clearer understanding of some of the similarities among many "religious" traditions.
To gain an appreciation for the diversity present within "religious" traditions, as well as across them

To gain a clearer understanding of the impact of "religious" convictions and practices on everyday life.

To gain a clearer understanding of some of the distinguishing features of the world's "religious" traditions.

Ability to compare different religious systems
Ability to read varied religious literature with understanding
Ability to share one's faith intelligibly with people of different faiths
Ability to grasp the basic tenets of many world religions
Ability to understand the worship practices of many world religions
Ability to develop an empathetic understanding of people of different faiths
Ability to develop comfort in discussing religious issues with people of different faiths
Ability to come to a profounder grasp of one's own approach to religious questions

Having accomplished the above, to see one's own "religious" tradition with a new perspective and renewed appreciation.

What we do not plan to do in this course:

To resolve difficult and important questions about the relationship between Christianity and other "religious" traditions.

To develop apologetic strategies for demonstrating the superiority of Christianity to other traditions.

To develop strategies for evangelizing those from other "religious" traditions.
Course Requirements
1. Your understanding of the issues in the course will require a genuine encounter with the material presented in the lectures and discussed in class This cannot occur if you are repeatedly absent from class.
2. An informed appreciation of the religions of the world can occur only if you conscientiously apply yourself to the reading material assigned Please read the material with care and think about the issues being offered. Compare as much as possible the information you are hearing about the religion you are studying with your own knowledge of the religion, if any, in which you were raised. Try to imaginatively enter into the world of this religion Initially, leave aside the question of whether a particular religion is right or wrong. Focus instead on understanding the meaning it seems to have for the adherents of the religion in question, and explore how this relates to your own understanding.
3. The lecture and reading material you will encounter will be supplemented by important audio-visual presentations. These are intended to provide a window on the actual life of the religion in question. Such presentations will include videos and slides which your teacher has accumulated in the course of travels in Africa, Cuba, Haiti and elsewhere.
4. Examinations: Examinations will include in-class and take-home components. The in-class component will focus on matters of fact and will require you to document your understanding of the concepts and vocabulary of various religions. There will also be a take-home essay focusing on your considered evaluation and assessment to the religion you are studying in light of your own personal experience.
Approach: In one semester we can only hope to introduce you to some of the many influential wisdom traditions around the globe. Our approach will focus on immersing ourselves as much as possible into the tradition under consideration. To the extent possible, we will strive to let advocates and practitioners of these different traditions speak for themselves. There are many resources at our disposal of which we would be wise to avail ourselves.